Lead pollution in Antwerpen, Belgium.

Environmental pollution by trace metals was found to be important in the vicinity of a smelter situated in Hoboken, a suburb of Antwerpen, Belgium. Lead content of surface soil ranged from 147-693 ppm, while dust samples contained up to 7% of lead. The annual average ambient air concentration decreased from 3.79 micrograms Pb/m3 in 1974 to 1.25 micrograms Pb/m3 in 1982. Lead deposition in fall-out samples was about 20 mg/m2/day at 500 m from the smelter. In 1978 the mean blood lead level of 11-13 years old children was 26.9 micrograms/100 ml within 1 km from the smelter, compared to 16.3 micrograms/100 at 2.5 km and 11.2 micrograms/100 ml in a rural control group. Younger children even proved to be at higher risk of lead impregnation. Out of 359 children, 3-12 years old, attending schools within 1 km of the smelter, 23 belonged to class III of the CDC risk classification and 3 to class IV. 17 of them showed reduced nerve conduction velocities. The mean dentine lead level of 51 exposed children was 31.94 +/- 6.98 ppm compared to 9.63 +/- 1.50 ppm in an urban control group. A programme aimed at reducing exposure was enforced: reduction of emission and wind blown dust from ore-piles, decontamination of houses and soils, closing down of schools near the smelter, motivation of families for moving away from the area, screening of the children, etc. Although an important reduction of ambient air lead levels could be realized, lead deposition did not decrease significantly.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)